Complementary
by Zentauria
Summary: Miscellaneous shorts for the Probending Circuit. Mostly Kainora. Currently: What's an airbending master to do when your little sister falls for your boyfriend?
1. Complementary

**Zentauria takes the Probending Circuit as an excuse to write shorts and practice fluff. Expect lots of Kainora.**

 **Team:** **Laogai Lion Vultures**

 **Position: Firebender**

 **Equipment: Earth Disks - Prompt 16: (color) Teal**

 **Word count: 348 (which is way super short)**

* * *

It is the third time Kai travels to Zaofu when he learns about complementary colors. It's hard to be around Huan and not learn anything about art, and this is what stuck. Yellow complements purple, red complements green, and blue complements orange. These are the best-known, but Huan says that, of course, there are more pairs.

Finding another one is easy. In the evening, Kai eagerly tells Jinora what he learned. He's been sorted with the airbender kids a long time ago, and the four of them sharing a room has become the rule rather than the exception. So before Jinora can get lost in one of her books, he grabs her wrist and drags her in front of the mirror. Ikki hops enthusiastic rings around them while Meelo complains about his manliness being threatened by all those 'ladies' needing a mirror. Kai and Jinora shoot him twin glares while Ikki simply laughs at her brother's antics and starts rattling off a list of 'lady things' Meelo needs or does in his everyday life. On any other evening, Kai would have joined in. But for now, he's happy to leave it to Ikki to cut Meelo down to his small size.

The mirror is huge. The first day the children took up quarters in this room, all four of them stood in front of it and made silly faces at themselves. This time, it's only Kai and Jinora. He hugs her from behind, his chin settled on her shoulder and her regrowing hair tickling his face. The mirror reflects his trademark cheeky grin, it reflects Jinora's amused smile, and it reflects their eyes brightening up, the way they always do when the two are together.

Finding another pair is easy. The colors are a part of Kai's life, a part so dear to him, he wouldn't miss it for the world. He hugs Jinora a little tighter, nuzzles a little deeper into the crook of her neck and listens to her giggle. She understands.

For his eyes are teal, and hers are maroon – and they complement each other.

* * *

 **Because it's so short, I put on a self-restriction not to use dialogue. My perfectionism is gonna be my downfall someday. :/**


	2. First Flight

**Team/Position: Laogai Lion Vultures/Firebender**

 **Equipment: Earth Disks, prompt: (dialogue) "Jump!"**

 **Word count: 417**

* * *

"Jump!"

Kai does not want to jump. He looks down the steep cliff dropping away in front of his feet. His glider is unfolded and ready for the acid test, but the part of Kai that's still Earth Kingdom is saying hello. Just in case he's forgotten about it during the past weeks of airbending, nomading and Air Nomading.

Actually, 'hello' isn't quite the right word. It's more something along the lines of _Don't you rock-brain dare to lift as much as a single toe off solid ground! Humans aren't meant to fly, or they would have wings!_

It seems crazy, entrusting his life to a piece of wood. Reason tells him he's more than ready – he practiced gliding above the flagstones of the Air Temple, he practiced gliding from roof to roof, and he hasn't fallen in days. In fact, out of all the Harmonic Convergence airbenders, he's by far the boldest flyer.

Yet this cliff seems to have its own pull, tugging at Kai's stomach as if waiting to bestow a quick death upon any Earth Kingdom boy foolish enough to try and conquer its treacherous heights.

Jinora, who up to now has been doing her best to encourage her friend, gives up her hovering above the abyss and lands next to him, worry written across her face.

"Are you okay?"

Kai takes another look at the cliff and licks his dry lips. "I'm fine."

"I'll catch you if you fall," Jinora promises casually and Kai turns back at her, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Can you read my mind?"

At that, Jinora simply laughs. "Do you think I jumped off a cliff without hesitation? Dad was circling me all day."

"That I believe unseen!" Kai chuckles. It's a very Tenzin move, no doubts.

Jinora smiles slyly. "And guess what, I didn't fall. And neither will you. You can do this, Kai!"

Kai heaves a deep breath, willing the queasiness away. "Alright."

Before he can change his mind, he lifts his glider over his head and jumps. His stomach lurches as he plummets towards the faraway ground, then there's a jolt as the air catches and he's flying, safe and controlled. As usual. Pleased with the outcome, he hooks his feet into the tail wings of his glider and grins at Jinora. She grins right back.

"Told you you can do it!"

Kai laughs. "I guess I should get used to you always being right."

"Yep! You totally should!"


	3. A Sister's Duty

**Team/Position: Laogai Lion Vultures / Firebender**

 **Equipment: Sparring Circle**

 **Characters: Jinora (2pts), Ikki (2pts), Kai (3pts) - 7pts (and hopefully a quality bonus ^-^)**

 **Word count: 1262**

 **The Sparring Circle is about writing a love triangle. The Probending Circuit does really strange things to my You-Shall-Not-Write List... Kinda throws the whole thing into my face. But okay. I'm always up to a good challenge!**

* * *

Jinora can't help noticing Ikki's weird behavior, though it takes some time to figure out its cause. At first, Jinora thinks Ikki has fallen sick. Her little sister behaves the way she does when she has a stomachache – becoming more subdued, talking less than she usually would. She stops jumping around as much. She seems distracted, looking anywhere but her older sister, losing at air scooter races. Ikki is a person who's constantly brimming with life, yet her spirits dwindle whenever Jinora gets near her.

But all those bits and pieces are firmly coming together when Jinora notices that she isn't the only one who causes this dullness. So does Kai. And it paints a picture Jinora would rather unsee.

Ikki is jealous.

She tries not to let it show, and Jinora appreciates that. She's not worried that Ikki would make a move on Kai. She can be annoying, but she's not spiteful or egoistical.

And neither is Jinora. She can barely stand seeing her sister so quiet and disheartened whenever the three of them are together, and she feels the strain her conflicting interests put on her relationship with Kai. She can't enjoy hanging out with him the way she used to, can't return his lopsided grin without a hint of wistfulness in her own smile. The guilt is gnawing away at her conscience, even when Ikki is nowhere near them. And at the times she is...

Kai doesn't even notice Ikki's feelings. He does ask her every now and again if she's doing okay, but he's yet to connect the dots, and Jinora doubts he ever will unless someone comes out and throws the evidence into his face.

She's afraid that someone needs to be _her_ , but she has absolutely no idea how to broach the topic. In a way, it feels like betraying her sister. Her adorable little sister who's trying so hard not to come between them. On the other hand, it also feels unfair to her boyfriend. Kai may be woefully oblivious to Ikki's feelings, but to Jinora's? Not so much.

It's hard to tell what's more painful to watch – Ikki's forced cheerfulness or the hurt flashing across Kai's eyes whenever Jinora rebuffs his affections.

What's a good sister and caring girlfriend to do in such a situation?

Breaking up with Kai is out of question. Not only would it hurt the both of them beyond tolerable, it would be completely pointless, too. It couldn't be more obvious that Ikki is not Kai's type. Ikki talks nonstop, Kai's eyes glaze over after more than three sentences in a row. Ikki has no patience, where Kai loves to stretch it. A relationship between them would implode faster than a lightning strike caged inside a storm cloud, and in the end, all three of them would be miserable.

There has to be some way to resolve this!

* * *

 _What's wrong with you?!_

 _What's wrong with me? What's wrong with ME?! What's wrong with you?! How can a guy be so blind?!_

 _Well, excuse me for not being a mind reader! Why don't you just come out and tell me that you don't want to be with me anymore?!_

* * *

Jinora never meant for things to escalate.

* * *

 _Of course I want to be with you, you idiot! I love you!_

 _I love you, too! That's why you can share with me whatever it is that's eating you!_

* * *

Neither did Kai.

* * *

 _Will you two just get along already?! Or do I need to knock your heads together to make you noodle-brains stop being such babies?!_

* * *

And neither did Ikki.

* * *

Talking to Ikki is dicey and Jinora is none the wiser afterwards. They don't want to hurt each other. Though Ikki appreciates the concern, the situation remains sticky as always, and nothing changes apart from Ikki trying to be even more cheerful and Jinora feeling even more guilty.

She wonders if it would help to talk to her mum. If it would help to talk to Korra. They have more experience with love triangles. But then she remembers Lin's resentment and Mako's stuttering, and decides that there are some footsteps you wouldn't want to follow.

She needs to come up with something on her own.

* * *

"Kai?" Jinora calls upon entering the bison stables. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Her boyfriend looks up from feeding Lefty some hay, forehead wrinkled. "Um... Sure."

Things have been awkward between them since their argument. Jinora could explain it away with saying that she's worried about Ikki, which isn't even a lie. But there is still a wedge between them. They haven't kissed in days. They stopped sitting together during meals, or team-teaching the new airbenders who keep coming in from all across the Four Nations. And the whole Air Temple picked up on it.

Jinora sighs. "I want to try something. We both know we can't go on like this."

"Yeah, _Ikki_ ," Kai scoffs and earns himself a bison nose to the back. "Ow! And whose side are you on?!"

Jinora giggles despite herself. "He wants his partner to be happy."

"Well, if we could just _talk_ about it like normal people..."

Jinora pinches the bridge of her nose. "It's not my place to say. Please Kai, this will sound like a weird favor to ask, but I want you to spend more time with Ikki."

Kai blinks, face blank. "Ikki? What good's that supposed to do?"

"Hopefully help her get over her... funk."

Kai doesn't look entirely convinced, but then he shrugs. "Alright. If you think that's a good idea, I'm in."

Jinora's shoulders slump with relief. "Yes, I believe that's a good idea," she says and walks up to plant a tentative kiss on Kai's cheek. "Thank you."

He doesn't return the gesture, but his lips curl into a wry smile. "Come on, I'll help you feed Pepper." He turns at Lefty and rakes his fingers through the sky bison's fur. "See you later, buddy! I suppose I can start with taking Ikki on a flight."

"Do that. I wonder when she'll be chosen by a sky bison."

"I totally thought she'd rock Princess Rainbow. But I guess he didn't like his name much."

Jinora snickers, a feeling of content spreading through her limps. This is more like the Kai she knows.

* * *

After a few days, Jinora finds herself fighting jealousy of her own. Kai and Ikki get along famously, and rumors start spreading that Kai ditched Jinora in favor of her little sister. All three of them deny it, but it only seems to fuel the gossip factory into overtime.

Then, after about two weeks, something shifts. Kai comes to Jinora in a huff and complains about Ikki throwing accusations at him that come completely out of left field. Ikki refuses to talk about it, but Jinora overhears a young Water Tribe airbender relating an amusing tale about her two teachers being unable to decide on a teaching method and making a royal mess out of the lesson. Then the two return from the market empty-handed because both of them forgot about making a shopping list. And then it's only another two days before Ikki announces at dinner that Jinora should put a tighter leash on her boyfriend, he's completely unbearable when she isn't around. Meelo and Rohan laugh. Pema smiles knowingly. Tenzin develops a twitch to the eye. Kai chokes on a lettuce leaf. Jinora loops an arm around his shoulders, satisfied that her plan had worked out.

"I'll think about it."


End file.
